The Platte County Citizen

Platte County went a long time without winning a tournament championship. Now, the Pirates have two in a row to build on with Class 3 District 4 and the Missouri State Wrestling Championships looming.

With a quartet of individual titles and 10 top-three finishers, Platte County topped the hosts in the final team standings of the Blue Springs South Tournament this past weekend in Blue Springs, Mo. The Pirates were slated to close the regular season with a dual at Kearney on Tuesday, Feb. 3, but the results were not available at The Citizen’s deadline.

Up next after that will be districts at Oak Park High School on Feb. 13 and 14.

Platte County went 4-2 in championship matches and 4-0 in third-place matches at Blue Springs South — one week after reclaiming the Platte County Invitational for the Pirates’ first tournament championship since winning the Class 2 Missouri State Wrestling Championships’ Class 2 crown in 2010. They were second at Blue Springs South behind Waynesville each of the past two years.

This time, Platte County totaled 444 points, finishing a comfortable 66½ points in front of the hosts.

Derek Kincaid (106), Matthew Schmitt (126), Ethan Karsten (145), Caleb Crabtree (152), Johnny Blankenship (160), Adam Muehlebach (195) and Casey Jumps (220) all won their pools in the 12-team field for the Pirates. Of that group, only Kincaid didn’t make the finals after a 2-0 loss to Blue Springs South’s Jett Merlo in the semifinals.

Schmitt, Karsten and Blankenship — Platte County’s three defending state champions — all won titles, along with Muehlebach, his first of the season.

At 126, Schmitt won four straight by pin and then cruised to a 16-1 technical fall against Lee’s Summit’s Trey Broker in the championship match. The two-time state finalist junior has now won 29 straight since a 3-2 loss to Codi Russell of Collins Hill (Ga.) in the quarterfinals of December’s Kansas City Stampede.

Karsten won seven by pin — six in the first period including a 1-minute, 28-second job in the final against Joplin’s Skye Paulk. He improved to 44-3 after finishing second at the Platte County Invitational with his third loss of the season against a nationally ranked foe.

Blankenship also remained on a roll and twice beat Waynesville’s David Hawk to win the 160 bracket. After a 5-2 decision in pool wrestling, Blankenship won the rematch for first place by a 10-2 major decision, improving to 41-6 on the season.

Ranked No. 6 in Class 3 according to showmewrestling.com, Muehlebach won a trio of decisions to take the 195 title. That included a 9-8 decision against Rockhurst’s Michael Broyles in a semifinal and a 7-1 triumph against Dominique Hampton of Raytown for the championship.

A senior and two-time state medalist, Crabtree reached a championship match for the second time this season but ended up second again. He lost a 5-3 decision to Warrenton’s Dan Filipek in the 152 final, allowing takedowns in the first and third period against Class 3’s top-ranked wrestler at that weight.

Crabtree currently ranks No. 7 at 152 after a recent slump.

Jumps made the championship match at 220 and was pinned in the second period against Blue Springs South’s top-ranked Christian Boyles, a 2014 Class 4 state champion at that weight.

In addition to Kincaid at 106, Zach Rolofson (113), Trey Dockery (132) and Tyler Blankenship (182) also claimed third place and rounded out Platte County’s 10 semifinalists. Dockery returned from a recent injury and lost an 8-6 decision in the semifinal against Waynsville’s Peter Lucitt.

Park Hill South finished 11th out of 12 teams and only advanced one wrestler to the semifinals. Dylen Propes bounced back from a disappointing finish the previous week at the Winnetonka Tournament by claiming the Blue Springs South title. He survived with a 4-2 decision against Raytown’s Braden Best in the 170 final, improving to 35-10 on the season.

Platte County 57, Grandview 18

The Pirates improved to 4-0 in Suburban League Blue Division duals on Tuesday, Jan. 27 with help from five opens.

Overall, Platte County went 5-4 in head-to-head matchups with Dockery, Karsten and Muehlebach all out of the lineup. The Pirates also suffered a loss at 285 when Sage Smart suffered an injury that resulted in a forfeit and kept the freshman wrestling up a few weights out of action later in the week at Blue Springs South.

Platte County coach Reggie Burress expects him to return before the end of the season.

Noah Stallo filled in for Muehlebach at 195 and scored a 5-4 decision win against Marshaun Swift. Stallo then went on to claim a title at that weight during the West Platte Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 31. Details of that tournament can be found in another story in this week’s Citizen.

Park Hill 69, Park Hill South 6

The Trojans lost only one match in a dominant victory against their rivals on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Park Hill High School.

Park Hill returned to action with a dual against Lee’s Summit West on Tuesday, Feb. 3, but results were not available at The Citizen’s deadline. The Trojans have two more duals in the regular season (Feb. 5 at St. Joseph Central and Feb. 19 at Truman) along with Oak Grove’s Panther Classic this weekend.

Besieged by injuries this season, Park Hill was nearly at full strength with Weston DiBlasi (126), Hunter Roberts (132) and Ke-Shawn Hayes (138) opening the dual with three straight pins. Canten Marriott returned from sickness to win a 16-0 technical fall against Zak Horton at 160, and top-ranked Colston DiBlasi pinned Propes in just 48 seconds at 170.

Jacob Sobbing won a 3-2 decision against Ring Deng at 195, as did Josh Steele vs. Carter Thomas at 113 for two close Park Hill victories. TJ Hullaby (182), David Amdriz (220) and Taylor Mathews (285) all made rare appearances in the lineup and won by fall for the Trojans.

Mathews wrestled in place of Anthony Enriquez, a senior who hurt his ankle three days earlier at the Winnetonka Tournament.